During his recent visit to Melbourne, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja was interviewed by Bhakta Prabhu on several topics that are somewhat delicate and controversial towards the end of the session.
You will see for yourself by clicking on this link.

The interview is in 6 parts; the link above is to the first part only. Please browse on the left of that website of the other 5 segments.

I had the good fortune to meet Purnacandra Goswami at the Odessa festival in Ukraine in 2005. I attended part of his seminar on Narottama Dasa Thakura’s Prema Bhakti Candrika, and I share my notes (below), which include his sweet realizations, as an offering on his disappearance. For me, I had forgotten the nice lessons I learned from him, which I express at end of these notes, and it is his mercy that I am remembering them again now.

He was always very friendly to me and happy to see me. Once he told me he preached in America, and in the UK, but recently he focused on Eastern Europe because he found the people there to be especially appreciative.

I hope he has attained the goal he mentioned in his seminar, pure devotion to Radha and Krishna.

All glories to His Holiness Purnacandra Goswami.

Notes on Purnacandra Goswami’s Seminar on Prema Bhakti Candrika

I heard but three classes of this six-class seminar. I present this to stimulate your interest in Prema Bhakti Candrika, a celebrated bookby Narottama Dasa Thakura.

Lord Caitanya dictated Prema Bhakti Candrika to Narottama Dasa Thakura, although the Lord was not still physically present at that time. The word ‘candrika’means ‘moonbeams’. Prema Bhakti Candrika clarifies the goal and sadhana of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja advised devotees to read Prema Bhakti Candrika and Prarthana to attain love of God. Bhaktisiddhana Saravati Thakura told his followers to read Prema Bhakti Candrika daily. Vrindavana Dasa Thakura said that Prema Bhakti Candrika lights the way on the path of bhakti as the moon lights the way through the forest. It is a collection of Bengali songs beginning with Guru Vandanam, which glorifies the guru and which we sing each day at guru puja. Then Narottama Dasa Thakura glorifies the Vaishnavas, the devotees of the Lord. Next he glorifies Rupa and Sanatana Goswami. Because Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis were personally instructed by Lord Caitanya, they are our main acharyas (spiritual teachers).

Chapter 2

2.1 Engage body and mind in God’s service, without demigod worship.

2.2 Carefully follow the previous acaryas with consideration. Do not add or subtract.

2.4 Don’t associate with karmis, jnanis, yogis. Give up all fruitive activities and all nonessential dharma. Give up distress and lamentation.

2.5 Don’t go to places of pilgrimage (because there are so many cheaters there).

2.6 Hear, chant, worship, and meditate the name, rupa (form) , guna (qualities), and lila (pastimes) of Krishna in the association of devotees.

Five stages of remembance:

1. smaran—occasional remembrances

2. dharana—one withdraws senses from objects and focuses on the Lord

3. dhyana—specific remembrance of a form or pastime

4. dhruva-anusmrti—flowing waves of remembrance with bliss

5. samadhi—complete absorbsion without deviation

2.7 Refrain from demigod worship.

2.8 I cannot control my senses despite hearing so much.

2.9 I will engage lust, anger, illusion, etc. in Krishna’s service:

2.10 Lust in eagerness to serve Krishna, anger against the enemies of the devotees, greed to hear the topics of Hari, illusion as a response to failure to attain Krishna, pride to be Krishna’s servant.

Envy cannot be engaged. We must understand with conviction that the idea that “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” is an illusion. Prabhupada once said, “Bhakti is so simple, you might miss it.”

2.14 Duplicity, illusory activities, and worshiping demigods are distractions. Everyone wants beauty and love. Let us look for that in the spiritual world.

2.15 Engage in worshiping your ista-deva. There must be a form of the Lord you adore. Hanuman is an example. Although he knows Narayana is God, he prefers to see Lord Rama. Avaditvam—dedication to your ista-deva. Just worship Govinda.

2.16 Your forefathers will be pleased with you.

2.17 If you are in Vrindavana or are thinking of Vrindavana, you can be happy.

2.18 ?

2.19 If you are in Vrindavana and are not worshiping Krishna, you cannot be happy.

2.20 ?

Purnacandra Goswami made the point that although we celebrate devotees’ birthdays, this is not part of Vaishnava practice. Vaishnavas do not like to put themselves in the center. Besides is our birth in this world really that glorious? He recalls one devotee he knew distributed prasadam to the devotees on her birthday, but did not tell them why.

Purnacandra Goswami mentioned that we should think we are not qualified for spontaneous devotion, but always look in that direction. If we think we have attained raga-marga, we will get stuck and not progress. We should always be afraid of falling under the control of illusion.

He tells the story of a Russian lady who had been worshiping his picture for three years and who really wanted to be initiated because she was an old lady who could die at any time and didn’t want to go to hell. He said, “Until the GBC permits, I cannot initiate you.” She said, “My friends told me, ‘Do not come home until you are initiated.’” He told her there are many gurus who could initiate her. She admitted some partiality toward Niranjana Swami, and asked Purnacandra to recommend her, which he did. He said as a result of that experience, he could appreciate how Krishna feels when people approach Him for liberation.

We should cry for Krishna. Srila Prabhupada says in Nectar of Devotion, “One should learn this small technique, and he should be very eager and actually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service.”

If we have Krishna-prema (love of God) then hell will become heaven. If we have no Krishna-prema, then heaven is hell. Pure love for Radha-Krishna is the only goal. Laulyam or great yearning is the only price of love of God. In Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.11.26, there is a great example of yearning given by Vritrasura, “O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds that have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them, as small calves tied with ropes await anxiously the time of milking, when they will be allowed to drink the milk of their mothers, or as a morose wife whose husband is away from home always longs for him to return and satisfy her in all respects, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You.”

We must understand that sense enjoyment is a cause of misery and not happiness.

We should be anxious that we have not attained our eternal service to the Lord.

Q: From what stage does spontaneous bhakti arise?

A: Ruci. Because there is taste. That is the motivation. But there is a little tendency (a scent) even in nistha or steadiness, which develops through ruci, and attains fullness in asakti. Nistha (steadiness) means 75% of anarthas (unwanted things) are removed and the remaining anarthas are no longer obstructions because they are minimized.

You get a hundred times the benefit if you chant japa after placing dirt from the base of the tulasi plant on your forehead.

Devotees of Lord Caitanya in audarya-bhava (mercy) live in Navadvipa in Goloka and those attracted to the sweet aspect of Goloka in Krishna-lila go there, and those attracted to both can go to both places. Therefore Srila Prabhupada did not stress one or the other because Mahaprabhu (Lord Caitanya) can accommodate all kinds of people in His sanga (association). Prabhupada wanted ISKCON to be broad enough to accommodate everyone (a house in which the whole world can live). Ratha-yatra has both sambhoga (union) and vipralambha (separation) feelings.

9.14 Gaurahari has appeared and showered love of God. Why did He cry again and again for Krishna? Only the devotees know.

9.15 One should internally be absorbed in thoughts of Krishna while externally executing the nine items of devotional service. Without attaining this inner sincerity, everything is meaningless.

9.16 Lusty desires are killing you. Lament, O servant of Hari. Associate only with devotees of Krishna for they alone can deliver us.

9.17 So many wives and children have come and gone, but I have not taken to Krishna consciousness.

9.18 The principle means of livelihood in raganuga-bhakti is to discuss Radha-Krishna in sadhu-sanga.

9.19 I will not disclose my path of worship to everyone and anyone. I will bow down to the devotees.

As a result of taking this seminar given by Purnacandra Goswami on Narottama Dasa Thakura’s Prema Bhakti Candrika, I am more conscious that our goal is love for Radha and Krishna and not freedom from misery, the spiritual world, ‘spiritual advancement,’ etc. I meditate while chanting our japa of Radha and Krishna’s names that we are associating with Radha and Krishna directly and thereby gradually developing our love for Radha and Krishna. There is no better practice or goal, and so there is no reason to let our restless minds wander elsewhere. Thus I think the seminar has been helpful in my case.

These two, the person of forethought and the person of presence of mind, have been declared by the Rishis to be the foremost of men in all treatises on morality and profit and in those dealing with emancipation.

One, however, that does everything after reflection and scrutiny, one that avails oneself of proper means for the accomplishment of one's objects, always succeeds in achieving much.

Last night in Brisbane H.H. Janananda Goswami was joined by 46 devotees for 2 hpurs of ecstatic chanting, dancing, book and Prasadam distribution.

The roar of the kirtan shook the very foundation of the city and was felt thousands of kilometres away. This wonderful opportunity to increase the spreading of the holy names to every town and village by Harinam Sankirtan is continually available to us. You can choose to increase the chanting of the holy names. Choose to join the Sankirtan party, choose life.

Raise your hands and limber up your tonsils, put on your dancing feet and click play on the video below. More Harinam, it’s the only way.

Yamuna: (indistinct) mentions in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya that a devotee in attachment selects one of the inhabitants of Vrndavana, and follows in his footsteps in order to be successful in his own devotional service. Does that mean that one of our spiritual masters is an eternal representative of Vrndavana? Revatinandana: But you've said that you are always in Vrndavana, so we are following a Vrndavana inhabitant. Prabhupada: Yes.

Maybe it’s because Scout shares such a resemblance to the little calf in “The Ox Cart’ by Van Gogh in FNO #4, they have the same knees to grown into after all…but he really captivated me and inspired FNO #27. I received such nice comments from some readers on that post that I decided to try to find out more about him. After several enlivening email exchanges this week with LTD, he shares this with us;

“Scout was born October 23, 2009, so that makes him just over a year old. He came home at 13 days of age after receiving his mother’s colostrum. He rode in the pickup cab in my daughter’s lap. Scout is now a steer and is in training to be an ox. He is an Ayrshire, which is a dairy breed; he has a little Swedish Ayrshire in him which accounts for his primarily red color. He comes from a small but progressive Northwestern Minnesota family-owned dairy that milks and shows Ayrshires; the dairy is near his present home. Scout the Ox, as I call him, has been raised together with Harry the Dog, a puppy that is near his same age; they have developed a special affinity for each other. Scout pulls a stud-cart, or his small wagon, and we enjoy long walks. He lives up to the Ayrshire breeds reputation for being high-spirited.”

The Ayrshire breed originated in the County of Ayr in Scotland prior to 1800 and made it’s way to America around 1822 where their hardy constitution soon made them a regular feature of the New England landscape. The U.S. Ayrshire Breeders Association offers information and guidance for the breed.

I flew from London to Kiev on September 8, and the next evening took a train accompanied by many devotees to Yevpatoriya, arriving the morning of the 10th.

For the sixth consecutive year, I attended the Ukraine festival, known as Bhakti Sangama, September 11-15. Now it is located in Zaozerne, Crimea, Ukraine, on the coast of the Black Sea, and the weather was especially good this year, warm and sunny. Registered attendees numbered over 4,000, and festival leaders estimate including the unregistered attendees there were 5,000 devotees altogether. I am always amazed that it is so well organized, you don’t really feel overwhelmed by the number of people. There is no registration fee for the festival and prasadam, only for living accommodations, which totaled about $23 for my entire six-night stay! Devotees give donations which usually pay for the festival.

I love the Ukraine festival. A lot of great speakers share great realizations, and the devotees appreciate it, and reciprocate with them. To top it off, there is a three-hour kirtana every night. Niranjana Swami, who was instrumental in starting the festival, is always there, contributing his inspiration and his blessings.

Each year new visiting devotees come to the festival. This year these included Giriraja Swami, Mother Dina Sharana (GBC of Germany), Purusharta Prabhu from Alachua, and Madhava Prabhu from Zurich. It was the fifth time I encountered Madhava this summer, the other times being the Simhachalam Nrsimha festival, the Birmingham 24-hour kirtana, the Polish Woodstock, and the Bhaktivedanta Manor Janmastami festival. With the three hours of bhajanas each night, it was a nice venue for him.

Usually you just hear one lecture on Radhastami, or perhaps two, morning and evening. At the Ukraine festival, four senior devotees shared their realizations about Srimati Radharani.

Candramauli Swami:

Srila Prabhupada says the mother is kinder than the father, and Radharani is kinder than Krishna. We have to fast only half the day on Radhastami.

Suchandra and Kalavati wanted to have the internal potency of the Lord as their child and so approached Brahma. Brahma said this is not an ordinary request, you will have to perform great austerities, and so they did fasting and chanting mantras for their whole life. They pleased Brahma and become Vrsabhanu and Kirtida, the parents of Radharani.

Vrsabhanu saw an effulgent lotus appear, and Brahma appeared, took a very small and beautiful girl from it and gave her to Vrsabhanu. The child did not cry or open her eyes, a mystery for her parents. They had a ceremony and invited Nanda and Yasoda who came with Krishna, also a small baby. When Krishna peeked into the cradle of Radha, she opened Her eyes. She is Krishna-mayi, one who sees only Krishna within and without. She did not want to see anything of this world, only Krishna.

Narada came, and started dancing upon seeing Radha. He offered some prayers which became Narada-bhakti-sutra. Srila Prabhupada translated the first thirteen verses, and then went on to translate Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.

Lord Caitanya is not different from Caitanya-caritamrita, Krishna is not different from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Radha is said to be nondifferent from Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.

To get the mercy of Krishna, we need the mercy of Radha. To get the mercy of Radha we need the mercy of Lord Caitanya. To get the mercy of Lord Caitanya, we need the mercy of Lord Nityananda. The spiritual master is the mercy of Lord Nityananda, so we need to please the spiritual master.

Devamrita Swami:

This is the most difficult day to speak. Relationships between boys and girls are so common in this world, yet Krishna’s and Radha’s relationship is so unlike the boy-girl relationships in this world.

Srila Prabhupada wrote in a poem when he came to the USA., “Oh brothers, I say your good fortune will be there only when you get the mercy of Srimati Radharani.”

Rupa Goswami glorifies Radha as dear to Madhava, and the center of attraction for all the young girls of Gokula.

Lord Caitanya’s heart is filled with the emotions of Radha.

There is no separation between Radha and Krishna yet their pastimes are full of meeting and separation.

What Uddhava saw in Vrindavan is what Lord Caitanya wanted to experience. Radha did ten types of ecstatic talking according acaryas. Although Krishna is accused of cheating, by Radha and her friends, no one can give Him up.

The peak of emotional experience is there in the feelings of separation of Radha and Krishna. Lord Caitanya experiences this. The highest attainment in our samprayada is an unfulfilled mission to attain Krishna.

The mystery is that through the feeling of separation, the devotee has Krishna more than ever before.

It is not contradictory to see Lord Caitanya as experiencing the highest feelings of separation from Krishna and at the same time as giving mercy. Radharani also is full of compassion as well as the ecstasy of separation.

Radha sees Herself as unqualified and seeks to bring others to Krishna, so this missionary activity is also coming originally from Radharani.

Bhaktivaibhava Swami:

One verse cites one flower as beautiful during the day and another as beautiful during the night, but Radharani’s face is beautiful day and night, so to what can it be compared?

Srila Prabhupada in a lecture makes the brilliant point, “The whole universe is trying to love Krishna, yet Krishna is trying to love Radha. How great this Radha must be! Therefore we must offer millions of respects to Her.”

There is a pastime that Cupid entered Vrndavana and seeing the young boy Krishna and young girls, the gopis, he thought it was the appropriate time to shoot his arrows, so he picked up his bow, but when he saw the glorious form of Krishna, he fell over backwards in ecstasy.

You can hear on a recording of a morning walk in Vrndavana, when a resident greets Srila Prabhupada with “Jaya Radhe,” he responds “Hare Krishna.”

The gopis needed to cross the river, and there was a young boatman on an old boat. They got on the boat and after some time the boatman stopped rowing saying he was hungry and asked for all their sweets. He ate them and lay down on the boat to take rest. He asked for two girls to massage his arms and two for his legs. Radha was so angry, She said I will give you two girls for your arms and two for your legs, and we will through you overboard. The pastime continued, and Krishna ultimately revealed to the gopis that he was the boatman, to their great happiness.

Ganesa Prabhu:

That we are taking birth during this time indicates we are meant to be followers of Lord Caitanya, and therefore, Radha and Krishna.

Practically all the great spiritual teachers in our line since Madhavendra Puri have been intimate associates of Radha and Krishna. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Siddhanta Saravati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada’s sannyasa guru were all manjaris, intimate servants of Radha and Her friends. We approach Radharani through Her intimate associates who are the great teachers in our line. Her mercy is available through the chanting of Hare Krishna without offenses.

Two symptoms of advancement are great humility and detachment from life’s inevitable miseries.

Aindra Prabhu Appreciations

Niranjana Swami wanted to glorify Aindra Prabhu, who passed away this summer, and who reminded all of the importance of Krishna kirtana. But he did not want to dedicate the entire time reserved for the three-hour evening kirtana to glorifications of Aindra Prabhu as that would be displeasing to him, so he asked a few devotees to speak something and the remaining two hours, or so, was for kirtana in honor of Aindra Prabhu.

B. B. Govinda Swami:

Aindra Prabhu, you are liberal server of the feast of the holy name.

Although sitting at the feet of the Deities in Vrindavana, you have blessed people in all parts of the world.

We need your support to join you into spiritual world. Ask the youthful leaders of your new place to make the arrangements that we might all come and join you.

Bhaktivaibhava Swami:

His dedication to the holy name has inspired thousands of people all over the world, devotees and nondevotees alike.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged us to take shelter of the holy name as much as possible, and he exemplified that.

Giriraja Swami:

He gave shelter to devotees all over the world.

Just by residing in Vrndavana and doing kirtana he was purifying the whole world.

He was such a fixture in Vrndavana, you could take it for granted that he would always be there. You would never consider what it would be like if he left. He was like the oxygen that we breathe.

Many young devotees have their lives transformed by Aindra Prabhu and his 24-hour kirtana.

One young devotee named Varun wanted to be initiated by him, but Aindra Prabhu did not initiate him or anybody else. Once Varun asked Aindra to chant on his beads, and Aindra agreed spending the whole day chanting at least sixty-four rounds on them. Then Varun asked if Aindra could give him a spiritual name. Aindra Prabhu said, “Don’t try to trick me.”

Aindra Prabhu stressed that the Hare Krishna mantra is Radha and Krishna Themselves.

Madhava Prabhu:

I was in Toronto, and we were doing a 24-hour kirtana, so we called Vrindavana, and asked Aindra Prabhu for his advice and his blessings. He told us to do as many 24-hour kirtanas as possible. After our 24-hour kirtana, we got a call from Vrndavana and learned that Aindra Prabhu had left his body. We were shocked.

I thought I was the best mrdanga player, but I would not sing. Once Aindra Prabhu for three hours kept pounding on one point, “Your mrdanga playing is useless if you do not chant Hare Krishna.”

He taught that the instruments are just to assist the chanting. Nothing is more important than the chanting of Hare Krishna.

Once some rich supporters from Delhi wanted to bring Aindra to Delhi to record Vrndavana Mellows, but Aindra wanted to do it in Vrndavana. “I want to give Vrndavana to the world!”

He could chant the holy name so much because he was humble. He demonstrated that when he appeared in a gamsha and invited me to assist him in cleaning the bathroom in thebrahmacari ashram. I had never cleaned a bathroom in my life, not even at home, so I was reluctant. But within, a voice urged me not to miss this chance to serve with a great soul, so I did it. It took three hours, but it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

Book Distribution Seminar by Navina Nirada Prabhu

I send the people an email after three days to ask how their reading is going, etc., but when I am traveling, I then hand them over to the devotees in their area.

Q: When I call people on the phone to follow up, people are a little scared. What to do?

A: The phone and voice can be a little intimidating. Send them an SMS or an email first. It is a little more relaxed.

Devotees asked Srila Prabhupada why he spent five months in Butler, Pennsylvania, instead of going immediately to New York to start the movement. He said he was studying the American people, so he could understand how to present Krishna consciousness to them.

Outreach, sharing Krishna consciousness, is individual, spontaneous, and voluntary. There are a million ways to do that, but basically we distribute books, chant the holy name, and distribute prasadam. How you do that is up to you.

In every temple, you should have what is called a telephone service. Usually if you call a temple, and nobody answers, you know you got the right number. Or a person answers who does not know your language. Divert the phone calls to a responsible devotee who will answer it.

I know you never call your own temple. Try it. See what it is like.

Stand in front of a mirror, and ask yourself, “Would I by a book from this person? Would I talk to this person?”

When asked why he was so successful, Srila Prabhupada answered, “I was always introspective.”

The first contact should be the person who sold the person the book. Everything is personal. People will come to the temple because they met you.

You have to contact people regularly. Within three to five days, you contact them. Not too long, not too short. And after that, then a minimum of twice a year. If they tell you, I do not want to get weekly emails, do not put them on your weekly email list. If the people are favorable, visit them. If you are brahmacari or single lady, do not go alone, go in pairs.

And be patient. Even a farmer has to be patient. But we are city people, we want everything now.

If you do a program at a home, do not just give the Sunday feast lecture and tell them everything. Answer their questions. Be attentive to their needs.

Do not just give the book alone. Give an invitation to the temple with all the contact information for the temple. Get a business card.

Have someone nice at the door to receive people. Have a shoe rack. Keep the bathrooms clean.

At Moscow University, Srila Prabhupada looked out and said there will be thousands devotees in this city alone. What is your vision?

Do you want know how to sell Bhagavad-gita?

Tell them this is a book about someone who did not want to do his job and wanted to run away from everything, but how after he received this knowledge, he did not change his job or his dress, but he changed his heart, and he became empowered do to amazing things. You would like to do amazing things, wouldn’t you? I know you are doing OK, but you could be doing better.

Insight from Lectures

Bhaktivaibhava Swami:

On his documentary Lost Village:

Three hundred people move from the village to Mumbai every day. Sixty percent of the people in Mumbai live in slums. By 2020, it is predicted that more than 90% of people living in big Indian cities will live in slums. Why? Because they have lost their culture? With spiritual culture, people can be happy living in a simple way. Without it, people take shelter in consumerism, which only benefits the business class. The whole economy is set up to convince people to buy new gadgets. Updating and upgrading are key principles. There is one English saying, “Shop until you drop.” This documentary addresses this problem.

Comments on Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Jaiva Dharma:

One verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 11 says that association with a pure devotee for even half a moment is the greatest treasure available in human society. It can protect from the greatest fear. We are fearful because of taking shelter of things we can lose. By the mercy of the devotees, we can take shelter of the holy name, our infallible shelter.

In Germany, 13,000-15,000 people die in car accidents alone. But we are always thinking, this cannot happen to me. This is called maya. Death can happen at any moment.

A sannyasi should not wait for anyone. He gets up, and the servant has to follow.

We should take advantage of the association of the pure devotees whenever we are so fortunate to get it.

How do we make definite advancement? When pure devotee association is frequent and powerful and nondevotee association is minimal, the neophyte devotee can progress quickly.

Sometimes the devotees wonder why they make so little advancement. Sometimes the cause is they perform devotional activities, but their minds are elsewhere. We have to think of Krishna and think of how to please the spiritual master.

Unless we come to the madhyama or middle stage of devotional service, we cannot truly serve the Vaishnavas because our material desires will impede our service.

When you go out to preach, and then you return to the temple, you appreciate the devotees. But if you just stay with the devotees all the time, familiarity can breed contempt, and you can find fault with them. On the highest level, we can associate with devotees all the time, and our appreciation will only increase.

Q: Is chanting or reading Prabhupada’s books enough? Or should we render service in the temple?

A: Nothing is ever enough. We should do everything as much as possible. Both chanting and reading and rendering service in the temple. If we cannot serve in temple, we can perform service for the temple from outside. If we do not have enough desire to serve, we will be always confused. Should I do this, should I do that? I am really not sure. When someone gives a suggestion, we say, “No, I really do not want to do that.”

Candramauli Swami:

An advanced devotee is pained to see the suffering of the people in general.

Srila Prabhupada said in a lecture at a college, “You don’t know, but you have been through all 8.4 million species of life.”

Srila Prabhupada said there is no happiness in the material world. A devotee asked him, “What about the mode of goodness?” Srila Prabhupada explained that goodness means knowledge and knowledge is to understand the miseries of the material sphere.

The materialists cannot win, and they cannot stop playing.

The Lord gives mercy because His devotees ask Him to. He cannot deny their request.

Q [by Prahladananda Swami]: One may doubt the merciful nature of the Lord if He only gives mercy only when a pure devotee happens to ask Him to.

A: The Lord gives His mercy to the devotees to distribute so they get the credit.

Lord Caitanya’s sannyasa:

Lord Nityananda was devastated when Lord Caitanya was planning to take sannyasa because he was worried about how much His mother, Saci, would suffer. Her eight daughters died soon after birth, and her first son decided to leave home and take sannyasa without telling anyone. Her first daughter-in-law died, and her own husband died. Thus she reposed all her affection in Nimai. When she heard He was thinking of taking sannyasa, she cried. When Nimai came to console her, she said she would take poison and die if he took sannyasa. He explained that life is meant for searching after Krishna. We have so many mothers and fathers, but which is our real mother? At one point, he narrated the pastime of Dhruva Maharaja, hoping to get her to give her blessings for Him to search after Krishna, but instead she decided she wanted to come with Him.

His wife, Vishnu-priya, also cried. Nimai tried to solace her, saying you are Vishnu-priya, and therefore, Vishnu, Krishna, is your most dear, not Me.

Seeing how devastated everyone would be, He decided to have kirtana for a few more days.

Srivasa Thakura said, “What will I do when you take sannyasa?” Nimai explained, “I am there whenever you worship your Deity. I am right there in your home. Please be satisfied with that.”

Once a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how they could get exercise as devotees, and he replied by saying they could dance.

Once a devotee said that we had do to do so much work as devotees, but Srila Prabhupada replied, “No. We do not have any work. It is all singing, dancing, and feasting.” The devotee insisted, but Srila Prabhupada replied, “No we have no work. It is just singing, dancing, and feasting.”

Lord Caitanya’s sannyasa guru Kesava Bharati was also a Vaishnava who accepted sannyasa in the Sankara order because that was the social custom of the day.

Even one who offered respect to Lord Caitanya thinking Him and ordinary sannyasi was eternally benefited. That is one reason Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. Another was to teach that one should give up everything to seek after Krishna.

It is said that the flowers and tulasi that Advaita Acarya offered to His salagrama-sila when calling Lord Caitanya to come, He would throw into the Ganges. When Saci bathed when she was pregnant with the different daughers, the maha-prasadam touched her abdomen and the blessed infants left this world soon after they were born.

Devamrita Swami:

Bhakti is the art of being attached in the best way. Everyone needs to taste the nectar of genuine attachment. But we do not want the negative effects of material attachment.

Even sannyasis and brahmacaris need to know about proper attachment.

The Lord Kapila section of the Bhagavatam is about coming together and separating on the spiritual platform, all spiritual and very intense.

Everybody likes to be attached, even brahmacaris and sannyasis.

We do not like to hear about spiritual separation because of our experience of material separation.

Vidura said he was eager to hear about the children of Svayambhuva Manu and his wife.

Lord Caitanya was eager to hear about the birth of the children of the household devotees. The idea is that the sannyasis encourage all the asramas in their dharma.

In the history of Kaplia we learn there is the right time for attachment and the right time for detachment.

Kardama performed 10,000 years of yogic austerity before producing a child. How serious he was! You may think you are serious about your attachment, but how do you compare to Kardama Muni. And yet, Kardama Muni, because he was a humble devotee, did not claim his family life was an act of devotion to Krishna. He considered himself as a foolish materialist who was approaching the Lord to have some material desire fulfilled, in his case, to marry a girl of suitable disposition. Suitable disposition does not mean physical beauty but someone who can aid one in one’s spiritual development.

Why did Kardama Muni not ask for liberation when he saw the Lord face-to-face? Because he and the Lord realized that not everyone is ready to ask for liberation, they want to provide an example showing how to gradually progress toward liberation.

Krishna is not personally interested in the creation of the material world. He just has energies that create it in response to the living entities desires. Have you ever pushed someone to do something they didn’t want?

Why are devotees confused? They sincerely want to serve Krishna, and at the same time, they sincerely want material enjoyment.

As the years go by, we see Krishna knows how to take care of us.

Attachment and detachment are all part of the same drink. But it is all attachment to Krishna’s service.

Giriraja Swami:

Srila Prabhupada considered his disciples pure devotees because they had faith in the process of pure devotional service. He had faith that if they continued, they would become pure devotees. He used the ripe/unripe mango analogy.

Krishna das Babaji said to a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura who had gone earlier to the west and preached, “You gave the same message of Lord Caitanya and gave the same mantra but were hardly successful, yet Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuada was amazingly successful. Why? Because he had faith in the holy name and you didn’t.”

When Srila Prabhupada encouraged Krishna dasa Babaji in chanting at Prabhupada’s sannyasa ceremony, although those performing the ceremony restrained him, Krishna dasa Babaji said, “I knew he would be the leader of the Hare Krishna movement.”

Srila Prabhupada told Adi-kesava dasa (OBL Kapoor) he had the prescription for love of God, trnad api… [One must be more tolerant than a tree and more humble than a blade of grass…]

When the devotees in Boston were low on funds, some devotees offered to take jobs. Nanda Kishore reminded them Srila Prabhupada said if we go on sankirtana all our problems material and spiritual would be solved, so they tried it. They got $7, $12, and $19 in collections the first three days, and they were convinced. The sankirtana was so successful they moved out of the storefront into a big house.

Srila Prabhupada was very expert in understanding the mentality of his disciples and the people in general. Once he said that the difficulty with his disciples was that they did not understand simple psychology.

Tamal Krishna Goswami was GBC in India for quite sometime, but he decided he wanted to return to America and preach. Srila Prabhupada said, “You can renounce management, but I cannot renounce management.” So Srila Prabhupada needed a new GBC for India. Tamal Krishna Goswami told me to call Atreya Rsi in Iran and tell him to come to Bombay, because Srila Prabhupada wanted him to become the GBC. So I did that and Srila Prabhupada heard I did that, and asked about it. I said, “TKG told me he presented to you that idea that Atreya Rsi take over as GBC, and you said it was OK.” Srila Prabhupada said, “What else could I say to Tamal Krishna Goswami? Call Atreya Rsi and tell him, he does not have to come.”

I was the sankirtana leader in Boston, and the biggest book distribution at that time in ISKCON history. I would get the book in their hands, show them the pictures, read a little bit, glorify it, and tell them that that could have it. When they said, “I can have it?” I would say, “Yes. We ask that people give a donation to cover the cost of the printing, but otherwise you can have it.” I used to get pretty big donations. We would go on harinama, and I would show the literature to different people, and when one would take, I would give it to others nearby. Then I would go back and talk to them and get donations. I tried that at the Bombay pandal programs, but I soon found that the Indians took them away without paying. I consulted local businessmen and supporters and explained the situation. They said I should poke holes in the magazines, put strings in them, and tie them to the book table. Then they could pick them up and look at them but not take them.

One long-haired, Western Shiva bhakta came by, and I was amazed to see a Westerner interested in spirituality who was not a follower of Srila Prabhupada, so I explained to him about the worship of Krishna and Shiva, and gave him some literature. I needed someone to do the service of poking the holes in the magazines and tying them to the tables, and asked if he was willing to do it, and so he did. Later he told me that I was the first ISKCON devotee that was able to engage him in service. Many of you probably realize I am talking about Radhanath Swami.

Once I got a typewritten letter, rare in India at that time, which was addressed to the temple president of Hare Krishna Land, saying I was impressed with your pandal program with its amazing aratis, ecstatic kirtanas, and sumptuous prasadam, and I would like to dedicate my life to your organization. He copied the description of the program from our ads. I replied, suggesting we meet personally, and we did. He became Lokanath Swami.

I had a conversation with Tamal Krishna Goswami in which he concluded, “The key to success in devotional service is to serve and please the spiritual master.” For me, I had heard we should worship the deity, study the scriptures, go on harinama sankirtana, serve Srila Prabhupada, etc. I thought they were all of equal importance, but then I understood from Tamal Krishna Goswami that all those other activities should be executed with the aim to please the spiritual master.

We had Bhagavad Dharma Discouses in Calcutta. In our Mumbai pandal, we got 20,000 people, but in Calcutta, 30,000 people came to a program that was much less glamorous. Prabhupada wanted these Bhagavad Dharma Discouses to go on all over the world, including New Vrindavana in America.

Our Bengal landlord had his own ideas about spiritual life. He argued that Lord Caitanya came before Radha and Krishna. Lord Caitanya was superior as a rasgulla is greater than than the milk and sugar it is composed of. Acyutananda Swami asked Srila Prabhupada about this. Srila Prabhupada said, using the same example, first you have milk and sugar, and then you make the rasgulla, so Radha and Krishna are first, and then join together as Lord Caitanya. He asked who was greater. Srila Prabhupada paused, and said Radharani is the greatest, and pointed to a picture with Radharani on a higher platform than Krishna, with Krishna at Her feet. Then he showed another picture with Nanda Maharaja’s shoes on Krishna’s head, and said Nanda Maharaja is the greatest. The devotees are the greatest because Krishna is controlled by their love, and the devotees are headed by Srimati Radharani.

Niranjana Swami:

Lord Caitanya said:

“The holy name destroys one who blasphemes My servant.

“All living beings are My servants and those who cause trouble to others will suffer.

“If one chants the holy name, and does not blaspheme others, Lord Krishna will deliver Him.”

To be an effective preacher one has to have the right vision. We cannot just calculate how people will benefit ourselves, but rather, consider how to benefit them.

Radharani experiences ten million times as much pleasure when She bring others forward for Krishna’s pleasure than when She enjoys being with Krishna Himself because Krishna is pleased with that behavior of Hers.

The Lord is so kind that He accepts even an insignificant offering made by His devotee with love.

Preaching means to look for the spark of the tendency to do something for the pleasure of the Lord.

Because Jagai restrained his brother, Madhai, from striking Nityananda again, Lord Caitanya immediately became compassionate upon Jagai, embracing him and giving him love of God, ignoring his life of criminal activities. The devotee of the Lord must embody this compassionate nature of the Lord.

The devotee does not seek revenge because he sees the situation as Krishna’s arrangement for his purification.

For criticism to be effective, it must be completely free of malicious intent. If there is a trace of malice, it will not be effective.

Better we look in our heart to make sure that we are not pointing out faults in others that are also in ourselves.

By serving one who is free from the propensity to criticize others, one can attain that qualify.

Until we can have compassionate dealings among devotees, there is no hope of being able to minister to others.

Suklambara Brahmacari would beg in the poorest areas and get only broken grains of rice. Still before he could offer it to the Lord, the Lord would snatch it out of his hands, proving He is eager to accept things from the hands of His devotees. Suklambara Brahmacari did not know the meaning of poverty, because he was always satisfied with whatever he collected by the Lord’s grace.

Someone may make some mistake, and then we may lose our compassion and criticize him, forgetting that anyone who does even a little service for the Lord, is very dear to Him, and because of such criticism we can lose our own attachment to Krishna.

Prahladananda Swami:

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in the Madhurya Kadambini one can attain nistha (the level of steadiness in devotional service) by offenselessly chanting the holy name.

When a devotee asked what to do about the mind during chanting, Prabhupada explained we should worry about the sincerity of our chanting and not worry about our mind.

The most essential thing is to believe that Krishna and Radha are actually present when we chant Hare Krishna, because if we believe They are present, we can chant to Them, and then we can actually experience Their presence, if They desire.

Krishna is in our heart, and He knows how much we want to be conscious of Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to us.

God controls everything, and we are trying to control everything, or at least to control something. That is our project in this world. If we cannot control everything else, at least we can control the food that is on our plate. At least the banana on my plate is willing to surrender to me, to enter into me, and to empower me.

How do we honor prasadam? We pay attention to it. We offer prayers to it. If we actually chew and taste the prasadam then we might remember Krishna, and then it becomes an act of devotion, and we become Krishna conscious, and our desire to become Lord of the material world decreases.

If we eat too much, we will have to collect too much, and then we will have to endeavor too much.

In America people do not die of starvation, they die of eating too much. They have contributed to the world Mc Donald’s and Coka Cola. If you put a tooth or a nail in Coka Cola it will dissolve in one week, yet we ingest this into our bodies.

And if you are working all day, you will have to hear and speak about so many things not directly related to Krishna. Prahlada Maharaja said the professional soldier, the thief, etc., risk their lives simply for money.

Srila Prabhupada said that we are not only trying to chant Hare Krishna, but we are trying to create a situation where we can chant peacefully.

Kunti prayed for problems, but in Kali-yuga we have enough problems without having to pray for them.

Most of the time we are uncomfortable because we think we are uncomfortable, but if we think about Krishna instead, we will find we are comfortable.

There are so many things we think we need, and so many things we have lost. We are one ten-thousandths the tip of a hair in size, but we have so much attachment to the matter around us. Because we are small we should take shelter of Krishna, and then we will forget about the unnecessary things.

The conclusion is that we should just chant Hare Krishna and pay attention. 99% of our thoughts are products of our past crazy lives, and 1% of our thoughts are plans for future craziness. Thus we should disregard our mind’s thoughts and chant Hare Krishna.

Bg 4.34 states we should take shelter of the Lord’s servants. “Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret to make spiritual advancement.”

To do this we must become humble, as our disease is to think we are the body and are proud of the qualities of our body.

Just being humble is not enough. One must acquire transcendental knowledge and expertise from the guru.

Srila Prabhupada engaged all kinds of people in devotional service and the loving exchanges between devotees.

In the spiritual world, we serve all the devotees there. If George Bush somehow goes back to Godhead, when we go back there, we will serve him.

Thus we have to practice honoring and serving the devotees in this world.

We should ask Krishna to tell us from within how to serve His devotees.

Lord Nityananda represents the desire of Lord Caitanya to bring everyone back to the spiritual world.

We are suffering due to separation from Krishna. Just as a baby continues to cry until it reaches its mother, the living entity is not satisfied until sheltered under Krishna.

Srutakirti Prabhu:

Commenting on Lord Caitanya’s statement that by one moment of association with a pure devotee, one can attain all perfection, Srila Prabhupada cited his own example: “Without a few moments of association of Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura in 1922, I never would have translated Srimad-Bhagavatam into the English language.”

One devotee wrote that he was experiencing many stumbling blocks on his path of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada replied by saying, “There are no stumbling blocks on the path of Krishna consciousness. They are all illusory. With one kick of my foot, I can kick away all stumbling blocks, but you have to follow my instructions.”

For the advanced devotee, difficulties make it more relishable.

I saw many times how Srila Prabhupada kicked out the stumbling blocks of his disciples, including myself.

When I first became Srila Prabhupada’s servant, he said some very amazing things to me. I was just twenty years old and had lived in the temple just a year. On the second day, he asked me if I took a nap after lunch. I said no. At that time, no devotees ever took rest after lunch. He said with great humility, “Because I am an old man, I sometimes take a nap after lunch, because I cannot sleep too long at any one time.” A year later, I would take a nap every day after lunch. Once I was sleeping very soundly, and I heard the bell Srila Prabhupada was ring to call me, so I rushed in, and as I bowed down before him, I was exercising my eyes, not to appear sleepy. He said, “I was ringing the bell for hours, and you were sleeping like a dead man. Why weren’t you chanting your rounds?” I would lose all intelligence when Srila Prabhupada would yell at me, so I replied that “I was sitting alone with nothing to do, and so I was unable to chant my rounds.” This, of course, did not make any sense. But he did not laugh at me. He simply said, “What can we do to make it so you can chant your rounds?” He called for Karandara the GBC of Los Angeles, and he explained the problem to him. Karandara also did not laugh at me. Because Srila Prabhupada took the problem seriously, so did Karandara. Srila Prabhupada, then said, I have an idea. He asked if Karandara could get another Dictaphone. He replied yes. He said he had another sitting room and would begin to translate CC in the other sitting room with the new Dictaphone and Srutakirti could transcribe it, and then because he had more service, that he could chant his rounds. I felt really good because I could see Srila Prabhupada was really taking care of me.

The next day, I chanted my rounds in the morning, as I was inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s concern for me, and I wanted to have them done so I could do my service. He did not translate at that time any more of Caitanya-caritamrita. But I was chanting my roundsbecause of the love he showed me.

Prabhupada never wasted one second. Every word he spoke, every movement he made, he did only what was required.

When he went on a walk, you had to be ready with his shoes and cane, and you had to help him put his shoes on as he was walking, and then hand him his cane. Yet, although he was so careful not to waste time, he would take the time to remove the stumbling blocks from his disciple’s path. The guru will never break the relationship with the disciple, but by not being faithful, by not following or by accepting another guru, a disciple can break the relationship.

We used to say that everything in Krishna consciousness is based on love and trust. We would not say trust and love. Love comes first. This is true with all our relationships in Krishna consciousness, if we understand that that the devotees love us, we will progress.

Many devotees asked Srila Prabhupada, “How can I please you the most?” Once a book distributor asked that question, and Srila Prabhupada did not say, “Distribute my books.” He said, “By becoming fully Krishna conscious.”

Srila Prabhupada enjoyed being with his disciples and seeing them chanting Hare Krishna and dancing.

Seeing Srila Prabhupada take prasadam, you could see it was an act of devotion. He would be alone and sit on the floor.

Yadubara Prabhu is a special devotee. Once Srila Prabhupada told him he could do anything he wanted.

Once toward the end of Srila Prabhupada’s life, Tamal Krishna Goswami forbid Yadubara from recording video, thinking it was disturbing Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was hardly speaking at all, and then in only a whisper, but he overheard this comment, and said, “Yadubara can do anything he likes.”

I want to tell about how my wife Amekhala left her body, because she had many friends here, and they would be interested, and in it is a lesson for us all. While she was at this festival in 2008, she had a dream and Srila Prabhupada appeared in the dream, and told her, “You do not have much time.” We discussed what Srila Prabhupada meant, but we never thought he meant she would die soon. She was happiest at the festival when she saw all the devotees clapping, smiling, and crying when they heard about Srila Prabhupada. When she had not eaten or drank for two months, we felt very bad to see her state. Seeing our sadness, she said, “Don’t feel sorry for me. My suffering is finishing, but you all are going to have to go through all this. I am feeling sorry for you.” So Srila Prabhupada gave her some nice realizations.

Srila Prabhupada said, “This process is so simple, you can miss it.”

Dhanesvara Prabhu (On Women in Vedic Culture):

For Vedic culture to work, both men and woman must have the same understanding of how the culture works.

In this class, I want to talk about important role of women in the Vedic culture.

Usually the varna discussion deals with the duties outside the home.

The women have their own special role, for which no one can substitute for them, the raising of children. This is important because everyone needs a mother.

How do we choose a varna? As adults, it is simply what we like to do. What about for children?

In children, if you observe them, you can see who is a leader, who is a follower, who is inclined to study and knowledge, who can control the material energy? In this way, you can understand their varna or occupation.

According to the Bhagavatam, the best marriage happens when the boy and girl have the same background, similar education, the same economic circumstances, the same intelligence, and when the boy is a few years old than the girl. If the two are compatible in these ways, they can execute their spiritual duties nicely together.

It was understood the Vedic five kinds of sacrifices were meant to be perform by husband and wife together, so except for a few rare naistiki brahmacaris, men aspired for a suitable wife.

The vaisya and sudra childrenwould not study very long, but learn from the elder men their duties. Brahmanas and ksatriyas would study the dharma sastras and the transcendental sastras.

The girls would be trained in skills and culture by their mothers. Even now I have seen in Indian families, often a girl of seven years of age can cook an entire meal.

As soon as sexual desires come into being there should be a legitimate way of fulfilling them. That was the reason for marriage before puberty, and it helps to minimize illicit sex. The strong sexual bond resulting from the couple uniting at such an early age would help the relationship last for life.

The older ladies, who husbands have taken sannyasa and left to give spiritual instruction to the world, stay at home, maintained by their sons, and play an important and essential role giving instruction to the rest of the family.

Man are either an intellectual mode or an emotional mode, but women are better at using intelligence to deal with the emotions, such as when the child is screaming and needs to be pacified. The man, on the other hand, is better at separating himself from material absorption, and attaining self-realization. When the women using her emotional understanding in support of her husband’s journey toward God, the relationship is beneficial for both.

Chastity was emphasized in Vedic culture, and they are many examples. Sita could have said, “That You were banished to the forest is Your problem. I am a princess, and I am going to stay my father’s palace.” But as the chaste wife of Lord Ramacandra, she decided, “Wherever You go, I will go.”

The women are very much the guardians of the culture because they teach the children from the beginning of life. You ladies have the power to do this, not the physical power, but the emotional power.

If the mother has respect for her husband, the child will also respect his father. If the mother does not respect the father, the child will not learn to respect any authority and will have difficulty respecting authorities throughout life.

Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, and unfortunately, do not even last five years. Second marriages are even less successful than first marriages.

The passion of the male and female relationships wears off after two years at the most, and after the passion is gone, there are two choices, goodness and ignorance. Relationships are maintained in goodness and destroyed in ignorance. There is love in goodness, but it has to be cultivated. When the husband and wife do their duties nicely they can develop love for each other in the mode of goodness, which will sustain their relationship. That is required.

Srila Prabhupada once said, “In your country, you marry the girl you love, and in my country, we love the girl we marry.”

It is the duty of the men to look after the spiritual welfare of their wives and children, especially when the children are young and the mothers are so busy with them.

Looking after the child is the first priority of the mother. Srila Prabhupada once told Malati, when she was lamenting she had no time to do other services, “Your child is your deity.”

Dhirasanta Prabhu:

Once someone in Hyderbad asked Srila Prabhupada why there was overpopulation. He explained there is no upward mobility. Things are blocked up. No one is going back to Godhead.

Mother Dina Sharana Devi Dasi:

In his purity, Prahlada was not afraid to approach Lord Nrsimha, because he was convinced of the affection of his master.

Srila Prahbupada makes the point that when one decides that only by engaging in devotional service to the Supreme Lord can one become happy, he works so all can attain that state.

The vaisnava does not experience the pleasure and pains of this world because of his absorption in Krishna’s service.

We have been trying to find happiness in this material world and failed life after life. We can come to the realization that happiness is not found in that way. Then we can hear from those souls who have made the decision to help people attain Krishna.

When you leave the festival, keep up the determination to perform some service to this movement. Do not make this movement a fashion—a movement with nice clothing, nice prasadam,a nice culture.

Story of child who fell in a pot of milk:

For a year, the children had done a play of the pastime of Prahlad and Lord Nrsimha. Every week, the child who played Prahlad had been saved from being poisoned, from being thrown off a cliff and from being boiled in ghee, by the grace of Lord Nrsimha. One day that very child fell into a pot of milk on the stove. The child screamed piteously. Seeing the child was badly burned, the mother advised the child to pray to the Lord. As it turned out the child healed quickly and completely, much to the amazement of the doctors.

Q: We read so many nice stories in the scripture. What to do about the real suffering in life?

A: People think if the Lord was really merciful, he was spare us from suffering in this world, but then we would never understand that the material illusion can never make us happy. The suffering that we are going to endure is only to the degree of our stubbornness. And to the extent we surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we will be spared the suffering.

Q: You said that when Prahlad was touched by Nrsimha he attained full knowledge, wasn’t his enlightenment by Narada sufficient?

A: That reminds me of the Dhruva whose case was similar. Seeing the Supreme Lord in person is so amazing we become stunned and cannot think of what to say. Unless the Lord empowers us with what to say, we cannot speak.

Ganesa Prabhu:

In Vedic culture people are considered respectable by being senior by age, by initiation, by class, by spiritual order, by knowledge, but the more important is by bhakti, devotion to the Lord.

In the Atharva Veda, it is mentioned that Krishna is supreme, similarly in the Upanisads, Brahma Samhita,Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Bhagavad-gita.

Goloka Vrindavana is described as being larger than all the other Vaikuntha planets combined.

In 1970 Himavati was involved in a car accident and she wrote Prabhupada, who included these prayers to Lord Nrsimha that we now chant daily in our temples in his reply.

In 1983 and 1984, 35 dacoits attacked the devotees in Mayapur. A couple days later, Bhavananda Prabhu had dream in which Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared and was killing all those who had attacked. One devotee made a sketch of the form described by Bhavananda. The devotees decided they should get a deity of Nrsimha, and sent Atmatattva to a sthapati in South India with the sketch. The sthapati realized this was Ugra Nrhimha. When asked to carve this Urga Nrsimha, he was afraid as one town where Urga Nrsimha was formerly worshiped nicely had since become a ghost town. He tried to find someone else willing to carve the deity, but could not and returned to that sthapati who had since had a dream in which his sthapati-guru appeared and told him to carve the deity and so he was agreeable.

Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to establish a daivi-varnasrama society to give the people a positive alternative.

Chanting has to be accompanied by pure behavior. One cannot effectively chant Hare Krishna while committing sinful activities. It is like the elephant who bathes in the river and then comes out and rolls himself in the dirt again. Strict following of religious principles has to accompany the utterances of Nama Prabhu in order for Krishna to reciprocate.

Depending on how you look at it, death can be a somber topic that puts everyone in an unpleasant mood, or it can be an opportunity to ponder the mysterious gift of life. A few interesting questions asked at our last Reflections were "Does life continue after the time of death?", "How can the thought of death increase the quality of our life?", and "Am I living a life that I find meaningful and satisfying?" Below are a few quotes that we looked at during our discussion.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life.
A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
-Mark Twain
“... almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
- Steve Jobs
“Today my soul spoke to my temporary self and said, ‘death removes everything that is false; death reveals to us our true friends; death exposes our true priorities; death brings forth wisdom; death educates us on our fears and weaknesses; but, most importantly, death reminds us that these material bodies and material universes are not our homes….”
-B.T. Swami – “Die Before Dying”

All the great spiritual traditions of the world have something to say about the nature of reality, and the possibility of illusion. Popular examples such as the film The Matrix have brought to our attention the idea that the world around us may not be what it seems. Indeed, it may not be at all. In last week's discussion we read a series of verses from the Gita which told us two things: that our material realm is a temporary place, and that there is another deeper realm, a spiritual realm, where we exist beyond the miseries of the reality we know know.

Why miserable? After all we don't want our spiritual path to make us gloomy, but we discussed that we all experience a certain sense of uncertainty in our lives, sometimes feeling even in the midst of our happiest times that something undesirable is lurking around the corner. We all want a happiness and security and a sense of self-knowledge that is enduring, and the Gita explains that this is the natural condition of our soul, beyond our temporary bodily state. While many descriptions of the spiritual reality where we can find this real happiness and life seem quite ethereal, we discussed that the teachings of the bhakti tradition laid out in the Gita for us help to access this spiritual reality through the nature of selfless love and relationships. By giving ourselves to others in a mood of compassion and brotherhood/sisterhood, we can begin to experience within ourselves, the spiritual realm the Gita speaks to us about, and we can find the lasting well-being beyond the flickering waves of this material reality.

This morning, after a harinam on a Diwali procession here in Durban, South Africa, I waited with the other the devotees in the party in front of a busy supermarket for Vibhu Caitanya Prabhu to pick us up and take us back to the temple. I noted that there were a lot of shoppers entering and leaving the store. While the devotees went in to get some cold drinks, I stayed outside and distributed books to people waiting in their cars and to the shoppers.

I approached a young lady who had just pulled up and used my regular mantra for people who smoke -- but this lady was just not going to take a book. So I gave her an invitation card and asked where her friend was from, the one who had just a moment earlier gotten out of the car and gone into the store. She told me his name was Brian, he was from Johannesburg, and he was purchasing some charcoal. I asked her what type of work he did for a living. She said that he was an engineer. I said goodbye and told her it was a pleasure meeting her.

I went into the store to see if I could find Brian, but I couldn't. After about five minutes I saw him at the checkout counter. So I went outside and waited to approach him as he came out of the store. As he came out I stopped him and said, "Brian, is that you? Goodness gracious me! I can't believe I'm seeing you again. It's been such a long, long time. How are you?"

He looked at me with puzzled amazement. I said, "You're an engineer, right? And you live in Johannesburg."

"That's amazing," he replied. "How did you know that?" he asked with extreme astonishment.

"Oh, I knew you many lifetimes ago. This isn't the first life we've lived. We've lived many lives before this one."

He couldn't speak a word. I told him I had something to give him that would explain what I'd just told him. I dug into my sankirtan bag and handed him a "Coming Back." Just then from the car his girlfriend honked for him to hurry up. He asked me again how I knew him.

"It was your friend in the car over there," I admitted, as he gave me I nice donation. "I just wanted to see your reaction. Well, now that you have the book, don't forget to utilize the knowledge in it."

He turned around, holding in his hands a bag of charcoal, a liter of Coke, the weekend newspaper, and "Coming Back."

"Thanks for taking the book, Brian. Till I see you next time in another life."

Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Yours in the service of Lord Sri Krsna and His devotees, Hare Krsna, Madhumangala das

1967 November 5: "I received one letter about his plight in relation with his God-brothers. The incident of separation from the society is accidental. The fact is that once combined in Krishna Consciousness, one cannot be separated at any time."Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 November 5: "I advised that he should not speak but I never asked that he should not enter the Temple. The incident is not very happy. He must be requested to send a letter of regret and apology for the mistake he has done."Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 November 5: "I have given you a list of good behaviors for the devotees. The person who is a devotee must develop those good qualities. The provocation was set in motion by Kirtanananda's uncalled for behavior but in future we shall be very much careful to deal in such provocative situations."Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1972 November 5: "They are attracted by some show and not by the real thing. Our standard is kirtana, starting temples. Gradually the Krishna Consciousness idea will evaporate: another change, another change, every day another change."Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 November 5: "All these things are nonsense inventions. Such inventing spirit will ruin our movement. Stop all this. Simply have kirtana, nothing else. Don't manufacture. If we divert in this way, the whole thing will deteriorate."Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1975 November 5: "This is very funny thinking. You want to spend for a boat and he wants to take sannyasa. First, there is no sanction to purchase this boat. And is sannyasa so cheap? This is nonsense. He is not fit. He will become a victim."Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 November 5: "If somebody does not go in one line with the rest of the godbrothers, he can remain separately, but it does not mean that he may disobey the principles that I have laid down. So long as one follows the principles, he continues to be my disciple."Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 November 5: "Another thing, why are you always calling on the telephone? Are you such important men that you have to call all over the world? We are poor men sons, what can I do? But, why are you always calling on the telephone?"Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

This morning, after a harinam on a Diwali procession here in Durban, South Africa, I waited with the other the devotees in the party in front of a busy supermarket for Vibhu Caitanya Prabhu to pick us up and take us back to the temple. I noted that there were a lot of shoppers entering and leaving the store. While the devotees went in to get some cold drinks, I stayed outside and distributed books to people waiting in their cars and to the shoppers.

I approached a young lady who had just pulled up and used my regular mantra for people who smoke -- but this lady was just not going to take a book. So I gave her an invitation card and asked where her friend was from, the one who had just a moment earlier gotten out of the car and gone into the store. She told me his name was Brian, he was from Johannesburg, and he was purchasing some charcoal. I asked her what type of work he did for a living. She said that he was an engineer. I said goodbye and told her it was a pleasure meeting her.

I went into the store to see if I could find Brian, but I couldn't. After about five minutes I saw him at the checkout counter. So I went outside and waited to approach him as he came out of the store. As he came out I stopped him and said, "Brian, is that you? Goodness gracious me! I can't believe I'm seeing you again. It's been such a long, long time. How are you?"

He looked at me with puzzled amazement. I said, "You're an engineer, right? And you live in Johannesburg."

"That's amazing," he replied. "How did you know that?" he asked with extreme astonishment.

"Oh, I knew you many lifetimes ago. This isn't the first life we've lived. We've lived many lives before this one."

He couldn't speak a word. I told him I had something to give him that would explain what I'd just told him. I dug into my sankirtan bag and handed him a "Coming Back." Just then from the car his girlfriend honked for him to hurry up. He asked me again how I knew him.

"It was your friend in the car over there," I admitted, as he gave me I nice donation. "I just wanted to see your reaction. Well, now that you have the book, don't forget to utilize the knowledge in it."

He turned around, holding in his hands a bag of charcoal, a liter of Coke, the weekend newspaper, and "Coming Back."

"Thanks for taking the book, Brian. Till I see you next time in another life."

Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Yours in the service of Lord Sri Krsna and His devotees, Hare Krsna, Madhumangala das

We regret to inform you of the passing of Purnachandra Goswami, one of Srila Prabhupada's senior disciples and a renunciate monk of bhakti-yoga for nearly 40 years in the Hare Krishna movement.

He was recently admitted into the hospital after suffering from severe internal bleeding. He gradually moved into a state of coma at the hospital in Moscow and he passed away on Thursday, November 4th.

He visited Toronto two years ago and inspired many with his inspiring talks and kirtan. The Hare Krishna Community around the world will miss him immensely.

Please join us in the memorial prayer kirtan for Purnachandra Goswami at the Hare Krishna temple tomorrow evening from 6:30pm which will also include Damodarastakam prayers at 8:00pm.

Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar is looking especially nice today but I am going to post pictures tonight or tomorrow once the altar is all lit up with diyas (candles).

Today marks the day that victorious Lord Rama returned to His people in Ayodhya. This is a day for jubilation for his devotees since it represents Lord Rama coming home and all of us are praying that He bestows His blessing on us by coming home.

For many Christmas has lost its true meaning with Santa Claus, gifts, concerts and food taking the place of Jesus. It is imporant that we remember the true purpose of Diwali and that is to worship Lord Rama who is in incarnation of Sri Krishna. Of course Lord Rama did this pastime to show us how we must perform our duty and no matter the difficulty right is right and good triumphs evil.

I (Indresh, son of Subhavilasa das) have been fortunate that since childhood my parent have made Diwali a special day. This is one of the rare festival days that they do not push us to go to the temple but rather make it a family festival day around Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar and Lord Rama. We usually take some or most of the day off and spend it preparing the altar and decorating. These activities help create some of the jubilation that I am sure the inhabitants of Ayodhya felt.

Srila Prabhupada wrote "Diwali ceremony can be observed in the temple by illuminating 100's of candles, in different parts of the temple, and offering special Prasad to the Deity." So on this day we do light 100's of candles and prepare special Prasad which has lots of sweets and savories including ladoos, burfi, gulabjamans, pakoras, colorful chips (forget what they are called), etc.
(I am not trying to make you hungry here but you can tell that I love Prasad).

With the altar all lit up and a special altar for Lord Rama we have an exteneded aratik and soon we are spreading the diyas (candles) through the whole house. We dig into the prasad and before you know it my mom and dad are presenting us with gifts...well they now actually skip us and presents them to their grand kids.

The evening ends off with all of giving thanks and heartfelt obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar and Lord Rama.

This makes for great memories and as I have grown up I have realized that it also kept us very attached to Krishna Conciousness. Instead of longing for the Christmas that other kids were celebrating it made us proud of our Vaishnava traditions and oh, by the way, we get to celebrate it well before Christmas :)

I am glad that by making Lord Rama at the center and my parents adding some nice touches to the festival has created a Diwali that my kids now love as much or more than I did. And as the saying goes, a family that prays together stays together.

I am off to get some Diwali shopping done. So once again...Happy Diwali.

This weekend will certainly be a special one at Toronto's Hare Krishna temple! On Saturday, November 6, we will be celebrating Govardhan Puja and on the following day, November 7, we will celebrate Diwali (actual date for Diwali is Friday, November 5)!

The story of Diwali stems back to ancient times when inhabitants of Ayodhya celebrated the return of Lord Ramachandra. Lord Rama was in exile, away from His kingdom, for many years. The joyful day on which He finally returned is observed as Diwali, or Dipavali (“dipa” means candles, and “vali” means numerous.). We will be celebrating this festival on Sunday during the Sunday Festival however, there will be an evening of kirtans and bhajan with special Damodarastakam prayers tonight from 6:00pm onwards. Please join us for this special evening tonight!

The day after Diwali is referred to as Annakuta, or Govardhana Puja. On this day the inhabitants of Vrindavan (Lord Krishna’s abode on Earth) would hold a harvest festival in honour of King Indra, the demigod who provided the rains essential for the harvest. One day, however, Lord Krishna wanted to teach Indra a lesson. He convinced the inhabitants of Vrindavan to honor Govardhana Hill instead, whose fertile soil provided the grass upon which the cows and bulls grazed, and to honour the cows and bulls who provided milk and ploughed the lands.

Outraged, Indra retaliated with terrifying thunderstorms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, calmly lifted Govardhana Hill with the little finger of his left hand. For seven days and seven nights the Lord held up Govardhana Hill, providing a giant umbrella to shelter the inhabitants of Vrindavan from the torrential rain.

Govardhan Puja celebrations at the Hare Krishna temple have always been popular and this year will also feature a grand "Govardhana Hill" made entirely of sweets in the middle of the temple room! Please join us for festivities from 6:00pm onwards to celebrate this festival!

We hope to see you and your family at the Hare Krishna temple this weekend!

3:49 A.M.

From Namamrta by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: “Only one who is strictly following religious principles can propagate the holy name:

“Lieutenant Mozee: There are many Christian organizations in the United States that give the holy communion. Why doesn’t this work? Why is this not cleansing the heart?

“Srila Prabhupada: To speak frankly, I find it difficult to find even one real Christian. The so-called Christians do not abide by the Bible’s order. One of the ten commandments in the Bible is, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ But where is that Christian who does not kill by eating the flesh of the cow? The process of chanting the Lord’s holy name and distributing prasada will be effective if carried out by persons who are actually practicing religion. My disciples are trained to strictly follow religious principles, and therefore their chanting of the holy name of God is different from others’. Theirs is not simply a rubber-stamped position. They have realized the purifying power of the holy name through practice…if you are not a true Christian, then your preaching will not be effective. And because we are strictly following religious principles, our preaching will be effective in spreading God consciousness.” (Science of Self-Realization).

The opposite of chanting and following religious principles is to deliberately commit sins on the strength of chanting. People who do this commit an offense against the holy name, and their chanting cannot purify themselves or others. You cannot use the power of the holy name and think, “I will commit more sinful activities and then counteract it by chanting. I will also give this to others.” Chanting has to be accompanied by pure behavior. One cannot effectively chant Hare Krishna while committing sinful activities. It is like the elephant who bathes in the river and then comes out and rolls himself in the dirt again. Strict following of religious principles has to accompany the utterances of Nama Prabhu in order for Krishna to reciprocate.

I slept all right but did not wake until the alarm went off at 2:00 A.M. I hurried to begin chanting and chanted at a good pace in the limited time that I had left to myself. I heard the names with clarity. By 3:30 I had done twelve rounds and will complete the rest later.

A person who chants
but eats meat, takes
intoxication, commits illicit
sex and gambling cannot
bring himself or others into
the sacred circle of pure harinama.
A worldly musical performance of sankirtana or
facetious japa by a
pretender helps no one
but only offends.
A person who follows sadhana can actually
chant the names. All the
senses must be controlled.
I’ve been praying, “Dear God”
but disobeying
His commandments.

Yes I was on many morning walks with you,
and I am proud of it.
I like to see my sikha-tousled head
sticking up and me gliding behind you,
to hear thoughtfully to what you had to say.
I listened best on those morning walks.
At other times I was plagued with mental problems.
But no matter how restless I was—
wanting service in separation from you,
disliking the menial nature of what I had—
I never disliked the walks.
There was pure philosophy streaming from you.
A debate with mayavadis and scientists,
the joy of walking with you and
how you kept the conversation
so pure, preaching,
and the clothes you wore too.

Lightweight garlands of frangipani in Hawaii,
a soft wool shawl
your saffron wool chadarover that,
most handsome and stately.
“Good Morning!” you said to passersby.
Little did they know who you were.
We shared it at least a little,
the secret you carried.

I’m looking at those photos today
and feeling comforted.
Your hand in your beadbag
your first turned back and smiling to a disciple…
If I try to get too much out of it
the photo will vanish.
I’ll try not to be greedy.

You exist in many dimensions,
not just in a piece of glossy Kodak paper,
but it aroused my devotion to see your image.
I don’t want to miss you.
Please take me on the walk.
Please talk or be silent as you wish.
Please walk with your disciples,
and make us Krishna conscious.

Don’t worry about the Republican’s majority
in Congress or even the success of the Tea
Party. These things will go their
way and history is cyclical.
There will be wars.
America can’t last forever.

Turn your attention to the
eternal, the indestructible,
the pure, the loving,
turn your attention to the
Supreme Lord and Radha.
You can’t wait for the
whole world to join you,
yet you should work
to tell them the truth.
Keep your mind fixed on Krishna.
Place yourself as an atom at His feet.
Cry out to
Him and work for Him.

Krishna is dear to the sadhus.
Try to be like them.
Be merciful and tolerant
and calm and peaceful,
be a friend to all and
consider no one your enemy.

Free Write

I turned at random to Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3, chapter 25, text 21:

“The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.”

“A sadhu . . . is a devotee of the Lord. His concern is to enlighten people in devotional service.” Prabhupada used to say a sadhu is not simply someone with a big beard. He actually has to actually have the characteristics mentioned in this verse. “He always thinks of others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposing elements, and therefore the sadhu has to be very tolerant. Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They do not like it; that is their disease. The sadhu is merciful not only toward human beings but towards cats, dogs, trees, etc.

“No one can be more friendly than a sadhuin relieving a conditioned soul. A sadhuis calm, and he peacefully follows the principles of the scriptures. A sadhu, or devotee, develops all the good qualities, whereas a nondevotee, even though academically qualified, has no actual good qualifications or good characteristics according to the standard of transcendental realization.”

I did my first drawing session in the art space in the basement. I did three small drawings on Bristol boards. I used a variety of crayons, wax and felt marker. The first one was a man and woman devotee in dhoti and sari and yellow tilaka. They were touching hands, and I thought of it as a marriage ceremony. Then I did one of a chubby sannyasi facing forward with no kurta but a sannyasa top-piece and big arms. He had his right hand in an orange beadbag and wore light pink saffron clothes. His mouth was closed. The last one I did was a kind of imitation of Juan Miro, with some of my own original iconography, the Celtic circular design and the stars that I borrowed from Lalita-sundari. It was a colorful abstract, and I’ll probably do more of them. Just by adding a word like “Haribol,” they would be Krishna conscious abstracts. It didn’t take much time or effort. I went economical on details. I could do two sessions a day.

I spoke with Narayana Kavaca on Skype. He said his participation in the GBC meeting on behalf of the Prabhupada Succession Committee went well. Now he has to go to the Bhaktivedanta Hospital for an operation on his hemorrhoids. I am proud of him and grateful that some of my Prabhupada writings will be used. It sounds like the senior devotees were kind to him, and he conducted himself well.

It’s raining today, and it is supposed to rain tomorrow. Even if it rains, Saci-suta has to take his team to race in the final competition.

Before publishing the daily blog post with Diwali wishes, I wanted to recognize the deep loss to the devotee community due to the departure of His Holiness Purnachandra Goswami. Our prays are for his journey back home, back to Godhead and into Krishna's abode.

No matter what we are taught in Vaishnava tradition when a devotee departs it is still tough and must be very tough for the many devotees that were close to him and served with him.

His departure is during this auspicious time of Karik. On diwali may his example light up the path of Krishna bhakti that all of us aspiring devotees can follow. On this day of Damodar-lila, Krishna is caught by love and His Holiness Purnachandra Goswami's has demonstrated Krishna prema and Krishna will certainly allow Maharaj to catch Him.

Bryanna Clark-Grogan’s Soy & Seitan Loaf
Dear Gods. I have just made Bryanna Clark-Grogan’s soy and seitan “turkey” loaf, and we’ve eaten about half of it already. We’re going to have to make this the last slice or there’ll be nothing for tomorrow.

The combination of tofu and soy or chickpea flour with the gluten makes a seitan that is tender, not rubbery, and which slices easily, even in VERY thin slices. The long kneading, resting, and slow-cooking method partially adapted from recipe by Ellen fromhttp://www.ellenskitchen.com gives an incredible juicy, tender meat-like texture. This recipe makes outstanding sandwich material.

For the Wet Mix, in a blender, blend all the ingredients until very smooth.

Mix the Dry Mix ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer with dough hook attachment, or place them in the bread machine in the order given. Add the Wet Mix and knead for about 10 minutes. (If your bread machine has a dough cycle—two kneads with a long rest in between—use that cycle. Otherwise, just run it through the kneading part and then unplug it and let it rest in the cover container, then plug it in again for another knead, then remove it,) Let rest for about 1 hour, covered. You can make your Cooking Broth at this time and have it ready. Then knead it for 10 more minutes. (NOTE: You can knead by hand, too, but it’s tougher than bread dough. You may want to let the seitan dough sit for a while to soak up the liquid more thoroughly before you starting hand-kneading.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

The dough should be quite shiny and smooth. Avoid breaking it up when you take it out of the bowl. Flatten the dough out into a long piece and cut in half equally to make two rectangles. Form into 2 loaves. Place each loaf in an oiled 8 and1/2” x 4 and 1/2” loaf pan and press down a bit with your hand. Mix the Cooking Broth ingredients in a small bowl and pour 1/2 over each loaf. Cover each loaf pan with foil and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees F. Bake for 3 hours. Turn the loaves over, carefully loosening around the edges and from the bottom with a small, thin spatula first. The loaves will have puffed up quite a bit by now, but they will flatten out as they cook further.

Turn heat back to 325 degrees F. Cover loaves and bake for 30 minutes. Turn them over again, cover and bake 15 minutes. Turn them over again and bake 15 more minutes, covered. Turn them over one last time and bake 5-10 minutes. The loaves should almost completely soak up the broth by the end of the cooking time. If they don’t, cook until they do. There will be a bit of sticky “sauce” left in the bottom, which you can use to glaze the loaves. Remove from the pans and serve, or let cool. Can be frozen.

COOKING NOTES: I haven’t tried this as a large “roast” yet, but I imagine it could be done in a larger pan. Slice this VERY thinly for sandwiches, or you can slice it into 1/4″-thick “cutlets” for scaloppine, into chunks for stews and potpies, slivers for stir-fries, or oblong chunks for “fried chicken”, or other “chicken” dishes, browning first in a little oil.

I used the dough setting in my bread machine, and put the lot in one loaf tin. It is delicious.

[EDIT]: I made sure to whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly together before adding them to the wet. I used 1/8 black pepper instead of 1/4 white pepper. A slightly different gravy gives a slightly different taste – a good line for experimentation.
[Edit Part Deux]: Replacing the olive oil with flaxseed oil in both the roast and the basting broth works very well indeed.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so what better time to re-post this Thanksgiving piece to get you in the list making mood. Sure, the stores want you to start making your Naughty or Nice list but let us not skip right over Thanksgiving, a holiday whose meaning has also been totally obscured over the years.

Make your Turkey Day literally painless by trying out the great recipes linked below. I will be vegan-turekeying things up around here Saturday as I bake a roast and stir my gravy to bring to a party pot-luck.

With over 100 youth each summer UK`s Pandava Sena group organizes a trip to a different European city. They take part in activities that represent a perfect balance between outdoor fun and having the opportunity to experience the culture of Krishna consciousness.

Although I’ve not got my Welsh Language Diary get I am in the process of getting dates down and look at arranging the time needed to visit the Manor one of the great priorities in life. However March looks like an exceptionally busy time for me school preaching here in Wales as it’s a month [...]

This weekend at the 24 Hour Kirtan in New Vrindavan, I learned that one facet of humility boils down to a verb.

Listen.

No, not hear. Listen. I have realized that it is impossible to be proud and to listen. Listening is a verb of the heart - it means that I set aside my own life, my own chatter, and my own ideas to look into another's eyes and absorb what he or she says. There is no agenda, no plan.

Just listen.

So at noon on October 30th, I took a vow of silence. I chose to set aside my life, my chatter, and my own ideas for 24 hours to look into the eyes of the holy name with no agenda and no plan. I opened my ears to hear.

Many kirtaniyas stepped up to the microphone to sing the holy name. I slowly set aside my inner music critic. Hour after hour passed and the holy name began to circle around and around in my head until it became the only sound I could feel - even the words to the mantra began to roll across my mind's eye.

In the early evening, I remembered the Hafiz poem, and it began to echo in the halls of my strangely quiet mind. Each kirtan became transformed, as if each devotee who sang truly was my beloved master, and each mantra was the last words he or she would ever say. Each kirtan rested like a jewel upon the thread of the holy name.

I was disarmed by surprise. I rarely ever feel such unconditional acceptance.

I began to listen to devotees even as they spoke to each other at lunch, or when they walked down the halls. I found Krishna in every word, even if that wasn't the intention. At times I wanted to walk up to someone, anyone, and beg, "Please, tell me your realization. Please tell me about the holy name, please tell me anything,"

When the clock struck noon on October 31st and the kirtans came to a tumultuous close, I slipped away from the templeroom and avoided crowds. Soon, too soon, the quiet of my mind would slip away, too, like water cupped in my hand.

Maybe if I pray enough, I can listen with my heart beyond 24 hours... beyond one week... beyond years... decades...

...Or maybe I will leave this world tomorrow. Then I pray to listen to my master of the holy name when I speak my own cherished last words.

At such an early hour (3am) cricket near stop their sound at the dry edge of the beach. Each time I stride along Juhu’s sands I meet the same persons – the beach cleaners, a patrol unit, two men in a jeep, one or two fishermen, the same dogs, a colony of beach dwellers fast asleep. Only the sandpipers must be different as they scurry before taking off in flight. The name is the same. I am speaking about the chant which goes along with my walking. Of all the mantras that exist, as the breathe of the Vedas, it’s this maha-mantra “ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” which is forever with this humble self.

I may not always be attentive to its glorious sound. I may not always enunciate its words so perfectly. I may not mentally offer it the respect it deserve. But the mantra has become my companion now for about 38 years. That’s a fairly big commitment.

I sat down with my dear friend Tamohara from Florida. We had lunch together. He mentioned he’s been married to the same lady for forty years. That’s an accomplishment. I had to ask myself, “ who am I married to ? “ that question might sound a trite bit silly to some people coming from a monk’s mind but truly I had to ask myself, “ who is my companion?”

The answer came at the time of the morning beach walk. “It’s the mantra, that is whom I am used to. And like in relationship sometimes my mood in dealing with my companion (whatever) it is sometimes hot and sometimes cold but there definitely is a companionship there. I can safely say that there will not be a separation as long as I can value that companion.

In conclusion I have this to say, “ It’s really nice to be married. “ And the next time someone asked me if I am married I will proudly say, “yes I’m married to a mantra.”

The gruelling climb of the Kilimanjaro and descent took a total of six days for the devotees of the Bhaktivedanta Manor – and was no ordinary climb: it was a dedicated effort to raise funds for a nursery at Krishna Avanti School.

Haridas, now 60, was a very young man when he met Srila Prabhupada, founder of the Hare Krishna movement. He explained to me that he had known the ways of street life. It happened that a copy of the magazine, the official Hare Krishna periodical, “Back to Godhead” ended up in his hands. On one of the pages a picture shows the image of Srila Prabhupada. Haridas noticed the watch on the wrist of the swami in the picture. He had little or no knowledge of Vedic or Hindu tradition. His mind was fascinated in stealing that watch. According to the actual norms of the culture you never steal from anyone, especially from a holy man.

Haridas started to visit the Krishna community in Mumbai. It was quite an international mix in those days with especially American to lead the mission there. There were gatherings of people who would sit by Prabhupada to hear him speak, Haridas entered into those more intimate meetings. At one point Prabhupada noticed him and inquired about him. Haridas was quite frank. He was beginning to truly enjoy the company of the Krishna devotees and he was becoming somewhat softened by their presence, nevertheless he spoke his mind.

“I originally came here to see how I could steal your watch”, he said.

With no resistance Prabhupada removed his watch from his wrist and gave it to him. This came as a surprise to Haridas. From that point on Haridas really began to love Prabhupada.

He told me of how he needed to get a government form filled out and it required for the applicant to write out the name of his father. Haridas didn’t know his father. He asked his guru, Prabhupada, what to do? Prabhupada took the form and signed his own name saying, “I am your father.”

Prabhupada had noticed that Haridas at one time had a camera. (Whether it was stolen or not he didn’t relay to me). Prabhupada asked him to get serious about using his camera and to make films. He became a new person.

Haridas now heads up ITV film studios. I spent an hour and a half with Haridas. He’s a cool dude.

One additional remark, an appeal: My dear American friend Purnachandra Swami is in critical condition on life support in a hospital in Russia. Please join me in prayer for his well being.

Krishna is unconquerable but on this day and out of LOVE for Mother Yasoda he was conquered.
Srila Prabhupada writes "Krsna is the supreme bestower of all kinds of liberation to His devotees, but the benediction which was bestowed upon mother Yasoda was never experienced even by Lord Brahma or Lord Siva or the goddess of fortune."

Srila Prabhupada writes that "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the son of Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, is never so completely known to the yogis and speculators.
But He is easily available to His devotees."

In this month of Damodar, He is very available to His devotees and bestows great favor. Although most of us know the story of Mother Yasoda tying Krishna up it is important that in this month this "kata" as given to us by our guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Srila Prabhupada is read. What better day to read it then on thay this pastime happend, Diwali. This great kata is: Krsna was sucking the milk, she was smiling, enjoying the beauty of her child's face. Suddenly, the milk which was on the oven began to boil over. Just to stop the milk from spilling, mother Yasoda at once put Krsna aside and went to the oven. Left in that state by His mother, Krsna became very angry, and His lips and eyes became red in rage. He pressed His teeth and lips, and taking up a piece of stone, He immediately broke the butter pot. He took butter out of it, and with false tears in His eyes, He began to eat the butter in a secluded place.

In the meantime, mother Yasoda returned to the churning place after setting the overflowing milk pan in order. She saw the broken pot in which the churning yogurt was kept. Since she could not find her boy, she concluded that the broken pot was His work. She began to smile as she thought, "The child is very clever. After breaking the pot He has left this place, fearing punishment." After she sought all over, she found a big wooden grinding mortar which was kept upside down, and she found her son sitting on it. He was taking butter which was hanging from the ceiling on a swing, and He was feeding it to the monkeys. She saw Krsna looking this way and that way in fear of her because He was conscious of His naughty behavior. After seeing her son so engaged, she very silently approached Him from behind. Krsna, however, quikly saw her coming at Him with a stick in her hand, and immediately He got down from the grinding mortar and began to flee in fear.

Mother Yasoda chased Him to all corners, trying to capture the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is never approached even by the meditations of great yogis. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is never caught by the yogis and speculators, was playing just like a little child for a great devotee like mother Yasoda. Mother Yasoda, however, could not easily catch the fast-running child because of her thin waist and heavy body. Still she tried to follow Him as fast as possible. Her hair loosened, and the flower in her hair fell to the ground. Although she was tired, she somehow reached her naughty child and captured Him. When He was caught, Krsna was almost on the point of crying. He smeared His hands over His eyes, which were anointed with black eye cosmetics. The child saw His mother's face while she stood over Him, and His eyes became restless from fear. Mother Yasoda could understand that Krsna was unnecessarily afraid, and for His benefit she wanted to allay His fears.

Being the topmost well-wisher of her child, mother Yasoda began to think, "If the child is too fearful of me, I don't know what will happen to Him." Mother Yasoda then threw away her stick. In order to punish Him, she thought to bind His hands with some ropes. She did not know it, but it was actually impossible for her to bind the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yasoda was thinking that Krsna was her tiny child; she did not know that the child had no limitation. There is no inside or outside of Him, nor beginning or end. He is unlimited and all-pervading. Indeed, He is Himself the whole cosmic manifestation. Still, mother Yasoda was thinking of Krsna as her child. Although He is beyond the reach of all senses, she endeavored to bind Him up to a wooden grinding mortar. But when she tried to bind Him, she found that the rope she was using was too short--by two inches. She gathered more ropes from the house and added to it, but at the end she found the same shortage. In this way, she connected all the ropes available at home, but when the final knot was added, she saw that it was still two inches too short. Mother Yasoda was smiling, but she was astonished. How was it happening?

In attempting to bind her son, she became tired. She was perspiring, and the garland on her head fell down. Then Lord Krsna appreciated the hard labor of His mother, and being compassionate upon her, He agreed to be bound up by the ropes. Krsna, playing as a human child in the house of mother Yasoda, was performing His own selected pastimes. Of course, no one can control the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The pure devotee surrenders himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, who may either protect or vanquish the devotee. But for his part, the devotee never forgets his own position of surrender. Similarly, the Lord also feels transcendental pleasure by submitting Himself to the protection of the devotee. This was exemplified by Krsna's surrender unto His mother, Yasoda.

Radhavallabha Das, Cafe Director: The Bhakti Cafe is first stage of the Bhakti Center that is being developed under the guidance of H. H. Radhanath Swami in New York City. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to be part of a truly dynamic effort to share Krsna with the Western world